officedweller
Senior Member
From SSP:
jollyburger;9885953 said:
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- Thread starter kkgg7
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smably
Senior Member
This is a tangent, but speaking of Canadian retail oddities, those who have spent time west of Ontario will be familiar with London Drugs. It is, as far as I know, an uniquely Canadian retail concept and ubiquitous on the west coast. Imagine if Shoppers and Best Buy had a baby. That would also surely blow the visiting American's mind.
gabe
Senior Member
I'm amazed the people i know that didn't even know Nordstrom existed. 
Talking with my friend, he's in late 30s, he never heard of Nordstrom, my two young co-workers in their early 20s, also never heard of Nordstrom, one of them is a girl too.
Nordstrom didn't connect with the younger crowd, styles were too outdated and prices were way too expensive for the average young suburban shopper. They tend to shop online or just shop locally at the nearest suburban shopping mall/smart centre. They don't have to travel far to buy clothing.
Talking with my friend, he's in late 30s, he never heard of Nordstrom, my two young co-workers in their early 20s, also never heard of Nordstrom, one of them is a girl too.Nordstrom didn't connect with the younger crowd, styles were too outdated and prices were way too expensive for the average young suburban shopper. They tend to shop online or just shop locally at the nearest suburban shopping mall/smart centre. They don't have to travel far to buy clothing.
Bayer
Senior Member
The first time I visited a Nordstrom was in San Francisco more than 30 years ago. I was mostly impressed with the spiral escalator. I think it was the first in the U.S. at the time. When I visited the store at the Eaton Centre, I wasn't overly impressed with the men's section. The only thing I ever bought there was a meal at their restaurant, and it was not especially memorable.I'm amazed the people i know that didn't even know Nordstrom existed.
Nordstrom didn't connect with the younger crowd, styles were too outdated and prices were way too expensive for the average young suburban shopper. They tend to shop online or just shop locally at the nearest suburban shopping mall/smart centre. They don't have to travel far to buy clothing.
officedweller
Senior Member
The spiral escalators are actually in the mall below the Nordstrom.
The escalators in Nordstrom itself at San Fransisco Centre are straight.
... and yes, I tend to associate Nordstrom with more conservative clothing,
but the Canadian stores weren't as conservative.
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Towered
Superstar
I've never seen a curved escalator before - fascinating. Must be a maintenance nightmare.
gabe
Senior Member
I was never a huge Nordstrom shopper in the US, down there they have so many high-end department stores to choose from. I rate Bloomingdale's and Neiman Marcus and even Saks over Nordstorm in terms of selection and service.
I love the stores for different reasons. I love Bloomingdale's bedding selection, i got some amazing Egyptian cotton bedsheets there on my last visit. it's my go to store for sheets and towels. Neiman Marcus i love for the menswear. Sak's I love for their skincare, bath products and hair products. They do personal hygiene better than any other department store. I will say Nordstrom in the US does have some amazing end of season sales. I scored some cashmere sweaters on sale at the Nordstorm in Troy Michigan a few years back. I never saw those kind of deals here in Canada.
gabe
Senior Member
Same as Sears and Target's closing sale. Jack the prices up before or during the closing down sale so you are not actually saving any money! I remember i had planned on buying some Blu-ray's at Target's closing sale, even with the sale discount, they were still more expensive than the regular priced BluRay's at Walmart
I saw better deals at Christmas time!
www.blogto.com
I saw better deals at Christmas time!
People in Toronto disappointed by low savings at Nordstrom's liquidation sale
Nordstrom's liquidation sale was given the green light by the Ontario Superior Court of Justice on Monday, but it looks like shoppers aren't too thri…
www.blogto.com
condovo
Senior Member
People in Toronto are tired of blogTO's clickbaity headlines
gabe
Senior Member
Here is one from CTV for those tired of blogTO's clickbaity headlines.
Nordstrom liquidation sales underwhelm Canadians as most items marked down 5 per cent
The first day of Nordstrom's liquidation sale began on Tuesday, but some shoppers walked away underwhelmed, as most items were only marked down five per cent.
Northern Light
Superstar
Northern Light
Superstar
Same as Sears and Target's closing sale. Jack the prices up before or during the closing down sale so you are not actually saving any money! I remember i had planned on buying some Blu-ray's at Target's closing sale, even with the sale discount, they were still more expensive than the regular priced BluRay's at Walmart
I saw better deals at Christmas time!
People in Toronto disappointed by low savings at Nordstrom's liquidation sale
Nordstrom's liquidation sale was given the green light by the Ontario Superior Court of Justice on Monday, but it looks like shoppers aren't too thri…
I think people tend to misunderstand liquidation as a process.
When it's conducted by/overseen by a third party liquidator, they are charged legally with the responsibility of recovering as much as possible for the creditors who are owed money.
They aren't conducting a consumer-pleasing exercise, their job is to recover the most, for the least amount of money.
You start the process with just enough discount to motivate turnout such that people understand if I wait a week they may not have my size or colour etc.
Based on how things do/don't move, you incrementally add discount in weeks 2 and 3; thereafter, as you have increasingly depleted inventories, the discounts get steep in order to contain the cost of labour/rent needed to sustain the selling process.
You also solicit offers from other retailers/wholesalers at that point to see if you're low enough for them to bite.
You also 'batch' to third party liquidators to empty the store.
Over and done in six weeks all going well.
****
There are usually good prices to be had, at some point, but only, typically on items that have limited appeal, are last-season, or that are greatly overstocked.
If it's popular, and on-trend, expect to pay at least 80% of the regular price.
Northern Light
Superstar
Great piece over at Retail-Insider in the form of an interview w/former Sears Canada CEO Mark Cohen (now a prof at Columbia) looking at the downfall of Nordstrom in Canada specifically, and at the more general issue of U.S. retailers in Canada.
He also spends some time on the future of the mainline Nordstrom locations in Canada as well.
I would say I agreed with about 90% of what Mark had to say; I might differ a tiny bit in spots...........but suffice to say, a thoughtful interview.
retail-insider.com
He also spends some time on the future of the mainline Nordstrom locations in Canada as well.
I would say I agreed with about 90% of what Mark had to say; I might differ a tiny bit in spots...........but suffice to say, a thoughtful interview.
Mark Cohen, Former Sears Canada CEO, Discusses Why Nordstrom Failed in Canada [Video Interview]
Craig sits down with Mark Cohen, Director of Retail Studies at Columbia Business School and CEO of Sears Canada between 2001 and 2004. They discuss why Nordstrom failed in Canada, what might happen with the spaces as well as a revelation that HBC attempted to get Sears to acquire it twice during...
retail-insider.com
AlvinofDiaspar
Moderator
Great piece over at Retail-Insider in the form of an interview w/former Sears Canada CEO Mark Cohen (now a prof at Columbia) looking at the downfall of Nordstrom in Canada specifically, and at the more general issue of U.S. retailers in Canada.
He also spends some time on the future of the mainline Nordstrom locations in Canada as well.
I would say I agreed with about 90% of what Mark had to say; I might differ a tiny bit in spots...........but suffice to say, a thoughtful interview.
Mark Cohen, Former Sears Canada CEO, Discusses Why Nordstrom Failed in Canada [Video Interview]
Craig sits down with Mark Cohen, Director of Retail Studies at Columbia Business School and CEO of Sears Canada between 2001 and 2004. They discuss why Nordstrom failed in Canada, what might happen with the spaces as well as a revelation that HBC attempted to get Sears to acquire it twice during...
He is pretty savage about Eaton Centre - but not necessarily wrong.
AoD
Northern Light
Superstar
In terms of sales per ft2, TEC is/was pretty respectable pre-pandemic.
It was #4 in Canada, #1 being Yorkdale.
But that didn't translate for Nordstom, and I don't think it did for Sears either.
Wrong fit, sub-par execution.
From: https://www.retailcouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/RCC_CSCS_3_2017_FINAL.pdf